That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

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Mothman
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That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by Mothman »

Post your final thoughts on the 8-8 season below.

I'm glad the team ended the year on a positive note, with a win.
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by S197 »

Disappointing I think is the theme. Nice to end the season on a strong note.

I think 9 different o-line combinations about sums it up. And that doesn't even account for guys who didn't make it to game 1 (Harris and Loadholt). Adam Thielen had a heck of a season and so did Rudolph. Those two, Diggs, and hopefully Treadwell make for a decent receiving corps. It will be interesting to see what is done with Patterson. I'm on the fence aboutShumur but leaning towards bringing him back. Sam seems to like him and he had a tough assignment taking over mid season. I think AD may be gone, I just don't see him willing to take the pay cut needed to stay.

Defense will remain largely in tact and while long sustained drives keep them out of the "elite" category, they're definitely good. I hope Robison is back. And I also hope Barrs fall off is due to injury.

Fix the line, find a compliment to McKinnon, and some better luck would make 2017 a potentially strong season. Injuries matter. A lot. Just look at Oakland today.
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by J. Kapp 11 »

In many ways, this was the most disappointing of my 48 seasons as a Vikings fan. Such a great start, such heart shown by the team early in the season when Teddy went down and Kalil went down and AP went down and Loadholt retired, etc. The defense was playing at a level I haven't seen in Minnesota in a long, long time. Bradford really acclimated himself quickly and performed admirably. I didn't know if this was truly a Super Bowl team, but it sure seemed like a Super Bowl defense, and I thought WHEN we got into the playoffs, anything could happen. Especially with a defense like ours.

Then the proverbial other shoe dropped, and I'm not sure I've ever seen it drop harder.

The frustration really got to me during and following the Indianapolis game. They just seemed to lay down, with their season on the line. And what REALLY sucked ... every team that needed to lose that day DID lose. Yet we totally laid an egg.

In many ways, the offense surpassed anything I thought they could do once Teddy, AP and the entire O-line went down. Meanwhile, the defense regressed in a big way. Injuries probably contributed to that ... guys like Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr and others were playing hurt near the end. But you have to be able to withstand the rigors of a 16-game season, and we just didn't.

Going forward, I actually some hope for the offense, obviously depending on the offensive line. I was pretty stunned at how easily they moved the ball the last two games. Adam Thielen established himself as a solid starter in this league with big-play potential, and Sam Bradford really found a rhythm with Kyle Rudolph. Speaking of Bradford, I believe he's found a home in Minnesota. He had a very, very good season and an extremely strong finish. I love his decision making and his deep-ball accuracy. And he's tough. Playing behind the worst O-line of his career (and he's been behind some bad ones), he managed to last the entire season.

Meanwhile, the defense has questions for me. The defensive backfield has talent, but Newman is probably done, and I'm not sure what's going to happen with Munnerlyn. Xavier Rhodes is a star, and Trae Waynes is a player who's about to become one. But we're thin at linebacker, and I question our ability to stop the run. If Newman retires and Munnerlyn leaves, who plays nickel corner?

On special teams, is Kai Forbath the "answer?" He hit all his field goals for the Vikings, but missed just as many extra points as Walsh, and doesn't have the leg on kickoffs. Locke is fine, I suppose. He had a good start to the season but seemed to tail off. I love Sherels on punt returns, and I'm hoping we re-sign CP.

I believe Shurmur will be retained, as well as Sparano. Strangely enough, I think both did a good job this season. The O-line actually got better as the season wore down. I suppose there's no fixing Clemmings, but they still managed to move the ball quite well toward the end.

Then there's Zimmer. I think the issues with his eye affected him more than he'd ever let on. I think he's improving as a manager of game situations, and he's generally very good at adjustments. He stinks with the media. It's just the truth. He really seems to loathe press conferences, but he needs to suck it up and figure out how to get better at them. I thought he was at his worst following the Indianapolis and Green Bay losses -- I know he doesn't want to answer the press' questions, but fans are going to latch on to what he says. He needs to get better there.

I honestly think this team can contend, and soon. True, we don't have a first-round pick, but essentially we do ... his name is Sam Bradford. We've just GOT to address the O-line. We've got 2nd- and 3rd-round picks, so it's possible to get some talent on the line.

Wish we could have kept up what we started, but that's not the way it happened. I'd like to say I'm used to the disappointment by now, but I don't suppose I'll ever get used to it. Here's hoping Spielman and Company address the teams needs in the offseason.
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by Texas Vike »

J. Kapp 11 wrote: I honestly think this team can contend, and soon. True, we don't have a first-round pick, but essentially we do ... his name is Sam Bradford. We've just GOT to address the O-line. We've got 2nd- and 3rd-round picks, so it's possible to get some talent on the line.

I enjoyed your post, especially the part quoted above. Bradford was SO worth that first, IMO, and I think that's the best way to look at it. We are now quite strong at the most important position in football. We may even have an abundance of talent soon, which may serve to upgrade our weaknesses via trades if we play our cards right.

I think AD is done as a Viking. The one thing the guy has never been is grounded, and it would take some real perspective for a guy like him to stick around with the Vikings. I really hope that they don't overpay him and handcuff what we are able to do at other positions. I don't trust that he can stay healthy anymore. Even when healthy, I question how long he'll be able to be as successful as some of the young bucks coming out in this year's draft will be at a much better price point. This will be the major storyline of this offseason.

Less attention grabbing, but probably more important is what we do to address the dearth of talent at OL. We have to commit resources (draft picks and FA money, namely) to this position and then we have to be less unlucky next season with injuries.

We also need to figure out what to do with Sharif Floyd. If he's done, we need a 3 technique guy that can plug the run and help Linval.

This season hurt bad. Once I got Directv they soiled the sheets, so it felt like a bit of a betrayal. I agree that Zimmer's eye situation troubled him more than he'd admit and I also agree on the pressers weakness. He needs to realize that it's not only important because of its role in fan perception, but also that it relates to the esprit du corps of the team.
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by Husker Vike »

I think the future of the Vikings could be bright, if the front office handles the AP and Kalil possible re-signings in a responsible way. Even though the cap increases, if they overpay for these two it will hurt in keeping other vital players and in our free agency search.
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by akvikingsfan »

The Vikings lost 4 games by less than 7 points this season. At the same time they won 2 games by before stated point gap. If things had gone differently in those four losses this season would be ending on a whole different note.

Bradford put up the best stats of his career this season, I strongly believe he is the future of his team. If the front office fixes the offensive line this off season and Zimmer gets the D back to playing the way they were at the start of the season next year could be huge.

Overall, this season was a huge disappointment mainly due to the injuries that destroyed the line. I had originally predicted the Vikings would go 13-3 before the Bridgewater injury. After the injury I still thought the team would hit 10 wins, which had the ball bounced differently in a few of those close games was entirely possible.

I think this team isn't entering a rebuilding phase like many on here think, I believe they are still in their peak. If they're able to fix the offensive line I could see them making a deep playoff run next season.

Here's to the 2017 Vikings :beerock:
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by vatusay »

Well, should we expect anything different?

They were a Walsh missed XP and a Thielen fumbled punt away from playing next weekend.

Starting 5-0 with dominating defense nearly had me convinced this team was ready to make a deep run.

Alas, I never got my hopes too high.

Injuries on the OL were just too much to overcome.

They laid two eggs this year. At Chicago and home against Indy. Didnt expect the poor effort after the bye, either.

To me it was the third most disappointing overall year behind '98 and '06.

Here's to an exciting off season with many interesting choices to be made.
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by PurpleMustReign »

What game did Thielen fumble a punt?

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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by tmscr »

PurpleMustReign wrote:What game did Thielen fumble a punt?

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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by vatusay »

Inside the 10, to boot.
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by tmscr »

I look at it is this way...if someone were to tell me we'd finish 8-8, I would feel:

-before preseason: very disappointed
-immediately after the teddy injury: not surprised
-if you told me that we would sign Bradford, he would throw 20 TDs, 5 ints and have a record completion percentage: dumbfounded
-after the 5-0 start: stunned beyond belief.

Echoing some of the sentiments already said, through 5 games the defense played better than they had in my entire lifetime. Maybe 1/3 of a season isn't nearly enough to get that excited, but coming off of what they did last year with marked improvement, that's what they showed and I foolishly bought in.

It's stunning that this team could not muster the needed wins to qualify for the postseason in a year when everything is so watered down. Not one team in the NFC is dominant, half the teams in the afc have lost their qbs, and we will be at home watching the playoffs. Two losses to the lions, the road loss to the redskins, the mind boggling loss to the bears and the drubbing at the hands of the colts were the lowlights.Having to watch Detroit and GB play for the division tonight makes things even worse. If there are any positives in the final 11 games, I'm having a hard time finding them. Simply inexcusable, injuries acknowledged, that we missed the playoffs.

Next year, I hope we can move on from Adrian. Zimmer will hopefully regain whatever he lost in the locker room, and obviously I hope we can sign about 6 new linemen. Other than that, things are great.
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by J. Kapp 11 »

Texas Vike wrote:I agree that Zimmer's eye situation troubled him more than he'd admit and I also agree on the pressers weakness. He needs to realize that it's not only important because of its role in fan perception, but also that it relates to the esprit du corps of the team.
Interesting take. I wrote about this a little in another topic. I've watched enough Zimmer press conferences (because basically I have no life) to know that the media bait him -- and it appears he doesn't even realize it. They know he hates doing pressers, so they use it against him. They ask him a question, and when they sense he doesn't want to answer it, they go after him until he breaks. They know he's a brutally honest guy who will eventually speak his mind. Zimmer eventually relents and says things he probably ends up regretting, such as calling Anthony Barr's heart into question. Nothing wrong with a coach questioning a player's motivation -- as long as he does it in private.

Zim has to do a better job of not letting the press get the best of him.
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by Mogvet »

They need to stick with Sam, the guy broke the NFL record for completion %, 71.6%!!!!!! That is insane! Get him an OLine and some good running backs and our offense could be untouchable! Defense......get healthy!
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by Mothman »

Good thoughts, friends. I plan to post in more detail later but honestly, right now it's hard for me not focus on this:

The Packers are going to the playoffs for the 8th straight year, and the 13th time since 2001. The Vikings have been to the postseason 5 times in that same 16 years, with one playoff win.

The Vikings need to establish a higher standard.
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Re: That's a wrap on the 2016 Vikings season

Post by Texas Vike »

J. Kapp 11 wrote: Interesting take. I wrote about this a little in another topic. I've watched enough Zimmer press conferences (because basically I have no life) to know that the media bait him -- and it appears he doesn't even realize it. They know he hates doing pressers, so they use it against him. They ask him a question, and when they sense he doesn't want to answer it, they go after him until he breaks. They know he's a brutally honest guy who will eventually speak his mind. Zimmer eventually relents and says things he probably ends up regretting, such as calling Anthony Barr's heart into question. Nothing wrong with a coach questioning a player's motivation -- as long as he does it in private.

Zim has to do a better job of not letting the press get the best of him.
Exactly. I was thinking precisely of the Barr situation. His style of social interaction is well suited for earning the respect of his players because of his authenticity / sincerity. In practice, game prep, all "internal" interactions, I sense that players appreciate his no nonsense approach.

Speaking with the media is an entirely different field of discourse. It requires cunning, dissimulation, discretion, and deception. Instead of a bear he needs to be a lynx or a fox, but Zimmer's not a shape shifter and he can't stop being a grizzly.
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